


willow

by kaleidoscopecolours



Series: taylor swift inspired [2]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Mentions of PTSD, mentions of depression, willow by taylor swift
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:42:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29018388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidoscopecolours/pseuds/kaleidoscopecolours
Summary: inspired by willow by Taylor Swift.Katniss recounts how she came to love Peeta.Canon compliant.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Series: taylor swift inspired [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113650
Kudos: 24





	willow

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own willow nor do I own the hunger games.   
> I'm trying to work my way through a decent number of taylor swift songs and using them as inspo to get back into writing. Let me know your thoughts!

_ “I'm like the water when your ship rolled in that night _

_ Rough on the surface but you cut through like a knife _

_ And if it was an open-shut case _

_ I never would've known from that look on your face _

_ Lost in your current like a priceless wine _

_ The more that you say _

_ The less I know _

_ Wherever you stray _

_ I follow _

_ I'm begging for you to take my hand _

_ Wreck my plans _

_ That's my man” _

Katniss wasn’t entirely sure how he had managed to worm his way into her life the way that he had. There was nothing about him that years ago would have drawn her to him, had it not been for the misfortune of entering the games. She had barely considered a relationship with Gale, let alone anything with anyone else. But standing in her kitchen, fixing the small group of people that had returned to Twelve bread, he looked right at home. 

Humming a tune to himself (completely off-key, if she did say so) Peeta kneaded the bread on the counter. He always seemed to be in a different world when he baked. He said to her one night when she asked about it that it just came as second nature to him, having done it since he was old enough to be able to bake without messing it up too badly. Katniss nudged down the anger at his abusive mother, who cared less about the burn scars her son would receive, and more about the bakery’s profitability. 

As bizarre as she had thought her affection for him was, his ongoing affection for her always left her puzzled. He had claimed years ago in that cave that he had liked her from when they were five years old, on that very first day of school. 

Katniss remembers clinging onto her father, begging for him not to leave her as he walked her to the front gate where all the year ones were lining up. He crouched down beside her to reassure her that he would see her in a few hours and that she would make friends. She was still no good at making friends. 

She had been nervous that she wouldn’t know the answer to things, because usually she would just ask her parents. But at school neither of them were around. But music assembly made her feel good, because she  _ did  _ know the valley song. Her father sang it to her and baby Primrose before bed. 

She felt briefly saddened that she only really took notice of Peeta when they were both reaped for the hunger games, never to return as the same versions of themselves and forever plagued by nightmares in the years to come. 

But watching him baking bread in her kitchen, a task so domestic and homely, squashed her sadness. There were days where her sadness rooted her to her bed, seemingly trapped underneath the covers but Peeta was always there to gently coax her out of it. 

He knew better than to force her out of bed- the only time he tried it ended in a screaming match neither of them had been prepared for. Instead, he opted for making her comfortable. Forever a gentle giant (at least in comparison to her petiteness), he would stroke her hair and read as she lay in bed or simply put a hand on her shoulder to ground her when she had drifted off into space for a little while. 

Insecure about whether she brought the same peace to his life that he did to hers, Katniss found herself for the first time vying for his attention. Whether it meant doing small tasks around the house so he didn’t have to, bringing in some herbs from the garden they had planted in the back of the house for him to experiment with his baking, bringing him some tea or singing him to sleep when his nightmares were too much, she felt herself wanting to earn it rather than pity herself for never deserving it. 

Peeta had been insistent on his arrival that she talk over the phone with Dr Aurelius. Apparently he came highly recommended. Katniss had been sceptical about head doctors, but she figured if he had worked with Peeta and Peeta trusted him, so should she. He had never led her astray thus far. 

The first few sessions were hard to get through, from picking up the phone to actually learning how to communicate her feelings and her needs, sometimes it felt like pulling teeth. It was hard to open up after being so hardened and closed off for so long. 

“What are you thinking about?” Peeta asked, still faithfully kneading the bread. His eyes flickered up to where she was perched in her arm chair. 

She wanted to say  _ “Nothing, dear.”  _ But knew better than to try that with him.

Instead, she went for “You.”

It was apparently all the answer Peeta needed, as he put the dough back into the bowl, placed a tea towel over the top and walked his way over to her. 

She shrunk back in her seat, staring down his doughy hands. “Don’t you dare.”

A mischievous smile crossed its way over his lips. “Don’t what?” He asked innocently. “I just want to give my gorgeous girlfriend a hug. What’s wrong with that?” 

She felt his arms encircle her, pressing deliberately into her sides as she squirmed and let out a shriek. He tugged her up so that she was standing next to him, but holding most of her weight. 

“You know exactly what.” Katniss said, trying to be stern.She wrapped her arms around his neck. His smile melted away the ice that she was trying to force. It was easier being affectionate when she knew that millions of people wouldn’t be watching at home on their screens. 

Her own, doughless, fingers twisted themselves into the hair on the back of his neck and made themselves home in his curls. She tugged him down for a quick kiss. 

“What happened to the bread?” She asked. 

“Needs to rise before I put it into the oven.” Peeta brushed his nose against hers, holding her close. 

What had been sleepless nights were nights less frequented by nightmares when he was close to her. They both found solace in one another's presence. Waking up, terrified of the things you see when your eyes are closed is never fun, but it's more bearable when there’s another person to share it with.

She tucked her head under his chin, nestling herself into his chest as best she could. Sometimes she woke up and all she wanted was to get as close to him as physically possible. This usually resulted in Peeta waking up being smothered in her hair because in her sleepy state she had decided that he was the mattress. Sometimes he would wake up and need to get as far away from her as he could, before his hands had any more ideas to wrap themselves around her throat. She did her best not to take it personally. 

Katniss never wanted to love someone the way her parents loved each other because she was scared of what it would mean, but it was a little less scary with Peeta. 

“You love me. Real or not real?” Peeta murmured in her hair as they swayed. 

And she confidently replied, “Real.”


End file.
